Movie: Paddington 2
My Rating: 3 stars
What a delight. I’m not generally inclined to watch children’s movies, but I heard so many good things about this one that I thought I ought to take a look. That’s pretty much why I watched the first Paddington—because one of the charming British podcasters I listen to mentioned how many of his equally-charming British friends played parts in it. And, I thought that first one was cute. But I heard rave reviews of this second installment, so I had to check it out too. And, I thought the movie really was fun. It’s not every day that you get so see a beloved character from one’s childhood get thrown into prison in a sequel. (Or maybe Earnest Goes to Jail should have prepared me for that). I like how kids’ movies are increasingly willing to go a little dark. But, I do think that maybe some of the critics went a little overboard when describing how amazing they thought the film was.
So, as I mentioned, in this sequel, our sweet, fuzzy protagonist gets thrown into jail with a bunch of hardened criminals (over a misunderstanding, of course). And naturally, he works his magic on these rough gents, and earns himself some very useful friends—good for avenging wrongs. Hugh Grant plays the main villain. And, his character is thoroughly evil. He’s a shifty circus type, and he’s the one directly responsible for sending our dear little bear to the slammer. But, when you make as many friends as Paddington, you always have a bunch of people willing to help you get out of scrapes like these.
I enjoyed this film. I wouldn’t say I loved this movie. And, I’m actually having a bit of a hard time remembering many details about the story. But, I know how sometimes movie reviewers like to exaggerate when they’ve been pleasantly surprised by a film. And, I recall thinking it was cute and silly. I definitely liked this movie more than any old kids’ flick. The movie was definitely intended for an adult audience as well as children. But, at the risk of turning the rest of the movie critic hordes against me, I’d say that you don’t need to go out of your way to check this one out. I think this would be an excellent choice on an airplane. Also, a good choice if you need to pick something that will cater to a wide range of ages and sensibilities (after Thanksgiving dinner maybe?). The movie is thoroughly inoffensive, and great for families. I realize it sounds like I’m talking myself out of this film, but I really did enjoy having seen it.